Where Would You Go

Alrighty.  So, I have been busting my butt off at work the past 6-7 weeks.  I'm finally going to take a day off and go do something, but that's the question I am trying to answer....

What am I going to do?!?!?!

I am off this coming Friday (12/02) and will have 3 full days off, and have no idea what to do with myself.  Whatever I plan on doing, I will be leaving Thursday night, and returning Sunday evening/night.

Here are the options that I have currently in my head....

1. Northwoods of Wisconsin
1. Musky season is closed.
2. Bass fishing will definitely be difficult.
3. Cold and snow.  I'm prepared.
4. I know the areas fairly well.
2. Michigan
1. Trout fishing.
2. Steelhead Fishing.
3. I have no idea where to go or what I'm doing in this state.
3. Southwest Wisconsin
1. I think the Driftless season is closed.
2. Musky season is most likely closed.
3. Not a far drive.
4. New Glarus Brewing - Great beer and cheese curds.
4. Minnesota/Minneapolis
1. Musky season is closed.
2. Trout fishing.
3. Bass fishing.
4. I have never been to the state.
5. No idea where to go or what I'm doing in this state.

Any other suggestions?  I just need a getaway that isn't to far...6 hours is my max driving for 1 day.  I'd like to maximize my time doing something like fishing, kayaking, hiking or whatever.

Ice Jigs for FSA Custom Rods

My homie +Ed Schmitt of FSA Custom Rods reached out to me, and asked if I would be interested in decorating some ice jigs he plans on pairing up with some custom ice rods he's building for some Veterans.  Without hesitation, I agreed to the job.

About 2 weeks later, my GF was going through our mail, and asked what I ordered from the "Used Anal Bead Emporium.  Wait...what did you say?!?!  I got something from the WHAT? HAHA!!!!  Luckily the contents of the envelope contained zero anal beads - used or new, and only some tungsten ice fishing jigs, stickers, and a note from my buddy Ed.  Oh, what a funny guy you are!  Haha  I got a really good laugh out of that.

Now what the heck to do with these jigs.  Very different than what I'm used to, but a hook is a hook, and after much thought, I had an idea.

I painted them all orange.  In retrospect, I should have only done half in orange, and the other half in another color or left them the original color, but oh well.  I'll just blame it on the beer that I'm pretty sure I was drinking that night.

A little flash, Senyo Fusion dub, and viola, ice jigs completed.  Hopefully, these will go great with the ice rods that Ed is building, but more importantly I hope they catch some fish for those Veterans that need some fish action through some hard water.

Ed is a Veteran of the Marine Corps, a very talented rod builder, and obviously a funny guy who is a fan of used anal beads.  He's built rods for quite a few of us here in the Chicagoland area.  He can do any type of rod; casting, spinning, fly, or ice.  Some others that can attest to the quality of his work are Brookfield Angler, and The Impractical Fisherman.  

So, if you're in the market for a new rod, shoot Ed an email at - ed@fourseasonsangler.com and be sure to like his Facebook page FSA Custom Rods.

Driftless Winter 2016: Part One

Day One

My friend Adam and I have been trying to get out and fish this winter.  We were thinking steelhead in Michigan or Wisconsin, and that just never happened, because, we've both been busy.  Things always work out in the end, because, it just so happened that we both had a free weekend at the end of January.

We decided, we're going to fish.

Our destination, the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin.

You just couldn't beat the scenery.

I haven't been to the Driftless Area of Southern Wisconsin since May 2013.  The last time I attempted to go was in September of 2013, a few days before the season is set to close for the year.  I never made it, because, my car was totaled. Click here to see that old post - Sitting Duck.

We left early around 4 AM on a Saturday morning and as I made the last turn onto a gravel road we we greeted by a bald eagle.  Always a beautiful sight.  Adam has never been up here, and he recently got into fly fishing, so, I was looking forward to showing him the very few spots I know in the Driftless.

Frozen guides did not stop us.

The morning started off cold.  Our guides were iced every 5 minutes, but that's okay, we weren't miserable, because, we were thrilled to be out of the house and wetting a line surrounded by such beautiful scenery.  Adam brought along some liquid heat to help warm him up from the inside out.

Adam sippin' on some liquid heat.

What to use...dries? nymphs? streamers?

What size should we use...10? 14? 16? ...20??

After changing flies quite a few times, I ended up getting some attention from red beadhead leech I tied on a size 6 egg hook.  Adam went with the hopper dropper technique.  A technique I rarely use, but probably should use more often.

Not wanting to spook any of the fish with my walking, and how I slip and fall in the snow, I was attempting to make hero casts, so, I can fish an area before I was near enough to spook the fish.

Streamer Eater.

Casting the leech to the tail end of some riffles, I got a strike, but missed.  3 casts later, my rod bent, and as I lowered my net, a beautiful brown was scooped up.

Release.

As the day went on, it got warmer.  Our guides were iced, no more.  I was actually breaking a sweat, because, I was so warm in the 4 layers I was wearing.  The rise in temperature gave us hope that the fishing was going to turn for the better, but it didn't.  It stayed stagnant.  We couldn't figure out what they wanted.

Long stealthy casts.  One of the keys to fishing the Driftless.

The lack of fish didn't affect us at all.  One look around and it was all good.  These streams are very special, and they just get prettier when the snow reveals lush green grass, and the trees begin to become full of life, again.  The trip wasn't done, and we were already looking forward to returning when jackets and winter gear were not needed.

Cold Hands and Panfish

The wind, it's unforgiving and cuts right through you like White Castle sliders on a Saturday morning.  You're freezing cold, and you're unsure you have a face, because, you can't feel it anymore.  The snot dripping from your nostrils is uncontrollable, but it doesn't even phase you, because, the fish don't care, and neither do you at this point.

Your mind starts to wander, and you start talking to yourself in your head...

I should have worn that extra layer.

I could be home tying flies right now.

Do I have boogers hanging from my nose?

I wish I could feel my face.

I wish I could be poppin' bottles instead of holes.

I sure could go for some chili and my couch.

I should have spent the extra $10 bucks on the nicer gloves.

Should I leave now?

Why am I out here?

I wish I had a shanty.
Is this ice going to break?

Welcome to the exciting world of ice fishing.

(In my opinion.)

Big thanks to Catchafew for bringing his shanty.  It was used a total of 15 minutes.

I don't always ice fish, but when I do, it's because, I forget how miserable I'm going to be out on the ice.

Invited a few friends out to ice fish my backyard lake after work one night.  DanK, BassMan Kevin, and Catchafew all arrived around 7 PM on a Wednesday night.  Have more friends around this time made the outing a lot more tolerable.  The stories and laughing made me forget about the cold.

The ice was 8-10 inches, but it had me buggin', because, it kept making noises.  It didn't phase the other guys. They're experience ice anglers, and kept reassuring me that I wasn't going to fall in, and if I did, I would have only been in about 6 foot of water, and a 100 yard walk back to my house.

DanK trying to coax a bite.

DanK and BassMan set up some tip ups, while Catchafew and I jigged with waxies under a vexlar.  I had a nice sized bluegill on, but lost it right at the top of the hole.  Eventually the wind picked up, and Catchafew set up his shanty.  What a life saver that was.  I even caught a small panfish.

Catchafew was the only guy not able to hook into a fish.  DanK and BassMan found the same size sunfish as me, in about 2 foot of water.

After drilling holes everywhere, some false hope, because, the tip ups being triggered by the wind we all decided to call it a night around Midnight.  Even thought I couldn't feel my face, I had a good time, mainly because of the company.  Thanks, again, for coming out guys!

My first fish of 2016.  Definitely a wall hanger.

If you come across any melted ice in my backyard, BassMan Kevin and his centerfold jigging pose is to blame.

BassMan Kevin aka Mr. January melting some ice.

A little play on a very disgusting videos that I've seen and most everyone has heard about.

Winter Creek Stroll

Grabbed my 3 wt and a few flies and headed over to Poplar Creek.  The water was still slightly high from the melting snow and freezing rain we got, but I've seen it in worse condition, so, I wasn't too worried.  The sun was shining and it was a brisk 20 degrees outside.

The scenery of the snowy banks and rock piles was a beautiful sight as the sun was reflecting off of the water.  The fishing was the complete opposite, but that's okay, because, it was a joy to get out.

Shook a bit of the cabin fever off and cleared my mind.  Gotta love the free therapy that being outdoors and fishing provides.  I know I do.

Winter: It's Here

2016 is here...Hooray!

Winter is finally here...Boo Yah!

Justin already has cabin fever...Woohoo!

Lots of time on my hands.

Muddy Explorations

The Chicago Bears weren't looking pretty, and it was seemingly nice outside, so, I took the dogs for a walk, and then venture over to the area of Poplar Creek that I had never fished before. Click here for the previous post - Local Exploring.

Armed with my 3 wt, a sweater, and the bare necessities packed in my Vedavoo Utility Belt, and Hip Pack, I set out with zero expectations.

Gray skies, bare trees, and muddy banks.

It sure was nice to get out and wet a line in some unfamiliar water.  Although, I was not able to entice anything.  Looking forward to fishing this stretch in the summer months.  I have a feeling it's a happening place for fun sized smallies and panfish.

Minimum Cowbell.

A bass pattern I've been tying that's inspired by Nick Granato's pattern Maximum Cowbell.

Temporary Happiness

Des Plains River.

20 minutes to kill.

Bait caster.  Steel leader.  Rapala Husky Jerk (Firetiger).

High water.  Fast current.

Nothing.

20 minutes of satisfaction.

Winter Jigs

+Gramps Mel over at The Pond Stalker has been tying up some jigs to start off his tying season.  That got me inspired to get to tying up some jigs myself.  Pictured below I have 4 jigs.  I completely forgot their weights, because, I'm terrible at remembering those kinds of details.  

Now I know what you're thinking, "why don't you just look at the packages for them?"  This would be a fantastic solution, had I not tore them up and tossed them in  the garbage, and placed all of my jigs in a small Plano box.

Oh, well.

The small green ones, can easily be tossed with my 5 wt, I'm thinking.  The chartreuse jigs with the white marabou tails will need to be tossed with my ultra light spinning rod.

These are super simple to tie, and the panfish love 'em.  There's no doubt that these jigs will fool some crappie, and bluegill at a local warm water discharge this Winter...pretty much the only place around here that you know for sure you're not going to get skunked.

Small Jig Ingredients:

Body - Hareline Caddis Green Ice Dubbing

Tail - Crystal Flash

Bigger Jig Ingredients:

Body - Chartreuse Chenille 

Tail - White Marabou w/Crystal Flash

Links to the jigs The Pond Stalker tied.
1. The Hot Pink Icy
2. Stayner Duck Tail Jig

Lost Mail Found

With all the snow that we received in the Chicago Burbz on Saturday, I didn't bother doing going out like I had planned.  I cooked, cleaned, and sat on the couch and drank some beer while.

While I was cleaning my desk, and organizing all of my materials, I found an envelope that I had been looking for since I received it.  The envelope contained a sticker and business card from Howard at Windknots & Tangled Lines.  This sticker will find a home on my Nautilus Reels Yeti Cooler.  ThANK YOU, for the sticker, Howard!

Also inside of the envelope were 2 stickers from FrankenFly that I received the same day, and put them all together.  I completely forgot I had these.  Who know's what more I will find as I clean even more.  I have my fingers crossed for some $$$.

Now that my fly tying desk is all cleaned up, it's time to mess it up, again.  Time to stock up on my favorite local craft beers, and get to tying.

Winter Is Here

Winter has arrived in full force.  It snowed all of Friday night, and most of Saturday.  Reports state that we have received 8 inches of snow in my area.  Not only was it snowing constantly, the wind was strong, pushing it around where ever it wanted.

After getting some stuff done around the house..laundry, dishes, shoveling the back, shoveling the front, shoveling around my car, and put some things in the attic I will have no use for in the winter, I decided to clean up around my fly tying desk.  Found a bunch of cool stuff!

I have no idea when I purchased these, but they were hidden away in a shoe box.  All of them are unopened and ready to fish.  I have actually used a Hula Popper, but am already looking forward to it come Spring and Summer.  Anyone use these?

I also found my small collection of stickers, business cards, and coasters from some craft breweries.  Here are the coasters.

Double Daisy Cutter by Half Acre

Front

Back

A staple at the hospital.

Oberon.

Fly Tying Season

When I leave work during the week, I have about a 1.5 hours of day light, and that flat out sucks.

Enter Fly Tying Season.

I haven't had the chance to sit down at the vise to put in an extended amount of time in for quite a while.  I'll begin filling my own personal boxes and taking care of any orders that may come in.  One of my goals this fly tying season, is to come up with something new and different or a revised version of another pattern out there.

Now that Wisconsin has extended their trout season, I think I'll be able to find enough time to make it to Southwest Wisconsin, in the Driftless area for an outing.  I haven't made the drive that way in 2 years, since I totaled my car on the expressway, because, of some deer frolicking on the highway at 4 AM.

Clousers are a staple in any bass fly fishermans box.  These simple patterns do nothing but catch fish.  Here are some reds and blues.  My favorite are chartreuse over white, not pictured here.

..and as cabin fever sets in during mid winter, this is probably what I'll look like, as I start to lose my mind.

If anyone is interested in a decal, please shoot me an email at carfoutdoors@gmail.com or book face message, and I will gladly send you one.

Sick and Sunshine

My GF passed on whatever sickness she had last weekend to me, so, I can be miserable this past weekend. With temps in the 40-50s and the sun shining, I watched from our 2nd floor bedroom window as all of the snow melted away, and ice start to retreat to corners of the backyard lake.

Saturday afternoon I had it. I just had to go outside and make a cast, and to get some fresh air for me and Bo (One of our dogs. The other is visiting my mom.). My GF eventually came outside and enjoyed the sunshine, as well.

I casted a square bill lure in a natural colored pattern with my baitcaster. I hooked something 10 minutes in, and to my surprise it was a carp!! It was hooked on the outside of the mouth with the front treble hook, and on the side of the head with the back treble. Is it a catch? - I'll allow it.

Right behind me is my GF's townhouse. Pretty sweet!

...and here's the face I'm sure everyone makes when a fish is set to flop right out of your hands. Luckily, this one didn't escape my grasp, but you can definitely see the concern on my face. HAHA!

This picture is definitely a wall hanger!

Off it goes. Hopefully, the next time I hook up with that carp, it'll be with my fly rod, and I won't be sick. Don't you just love a good release shot! I know I do. Not bad for a 15 minute outing. Oh, Happy Days!!

**It started to snow again on Sunday afternoon, and as of this Monday morning, I can see that we accumulated about 3 inches of heavy wet snow. When will it end!!!

Superbowl Blizzard

This Chicagoland area received 19.5 inches of snow Saturday night through Monday morning. I spent some of that time out on the roads, and the Outback was a beast! I had zero issues, and I was extremely impressed with it's handling of all the snow on the road. It was very difficult for the plows to keep up, and most of the roads were a mess, but it was not a problem.

Bring on some more snow!!!....Yeah, right! I'm over it. I told my shovel, that we need to start seeing other people/things.

On another note, I was rooting for the Patriots to win, but why in the world wouldn't you give it to Lynch on the 1 yard line! Congrats, to the New England Patriots, and all of their fans.